MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The restaurant industry has taken a beating because of COVID-19 restrictions. By one estimate, businesses serving food and drinks have lost more than $215 billion since the beginning of the pandemic and millions are out of work.
It’s one of the issues the Shelby County Commission plans to talk about during their meeting on Monday.
Commissioners Van Turner and Tami Sawyer are sponsoring a resolution urging Tennessee Governor Bill Lee to provide bailout money for bars, restaurants and other businesses across the state.
“I have had many conversations and heard the concerns of food-service business owners and employees across Shelby County over the past month and while some were delivered with vitriol, I understand the economic impact closures & mandates have on the food-service industry,” Sawyer tweeted Monday.
“Most importantly, I feel a bailout would be beneficial to the thousands of employees whose hours have been diminished greatly.”
While their plan doesn’t ask for a specific dollar amount, a bailout could cost Tennessee taxpayers billions.
Just a couple of weeks ago, the Shelby County Health Department ordered bars and restaurants to cut capacity by 50 percent and close at 10 p.m. The Memphis Restaurant Association pushed back, demanding better communication and access to the data driving these decisions.
Mayor Lee Harris, Health Director Alisa Haushalter and the municipal mayors held a meeting to address these concerns. They plan to meet again next week.
The latest report from the White House COVID Task Force is calling for Tennessee to reduce restaurant capacity to less than 25 percent. Without public health orders, the task force says the virus will remain “unyeilding” with significant impact on health care.